


quad montage

by brii



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-03-21
Packaged: 2018-03-18 20:51:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3583569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brii/pseuds/brii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>4 short leopika fics i wrote a few months ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello! im sorry i havent posted much in the last few months. recently my schedule has been crazy and im still tying some loose ends, since then i havent had much inspiration. but i hope you all can enjoy these for time being!

"Do you like coffee?" Leorio asks Kurapika from behind while waiting for the coffee machine to brew. Kurapika sits stiffly at a modest wooden table with his his hands clamped together on top. 

  
"I'm more inclined towards tea," Kurapika admits. He says, "Actually, I can't recall if I've ever had coffee," as if he is talking to himself. It is loud enough for Leorio to hear.

  
"You've _never_ had coffee?" Leorio twists his neck to view his friend, his brow raising with his disbelief. "What kind of man has never had _coffee?_ "

  
"I've just never bothered to try it," Kurapika explains with a small shrug of his shoulders.

  
"Do you want to try it?" Leorio offers almost a little too fast, the machine has just finished brewing the pot.

  
"If it's not any trouble," Kurapika replies, but he is staring at the table. Both of them are silent as Leorio pours a mug. Leorio can feel Kurapika watching him as he mixes sugar with a spoon and milk into the coffee. The muteness in the room feels tense for Leorio--he wonders if there is something on Kurapika's mind. When Leorio walks to the table his tall frame nearly looms over his friend as he stands. "Thanks," Kurapika takes the mug from Leorio with both hands.

  
Leorio finds him unusual; Kurapika seems to be uncomfortably stale just sitting there. In fear his guest was uncomfortable, he had asked Kurapika multiple times to relax, only to receive a short, curt reply that he _was_ relaxing. Leorio suddenly remembers that he has forgotten all about _his_ cup of coffee and returns to the counter, but he is only there for a second before he hears Kurapika's voice.

  
"Leorio," even when Kurapika calls his name he uses a quiet, calm inside tone, "If it's still not any trouble, do you mind pouring another cup without any sweeteners?"

  
Leorio pauses his train of thought for a moment, and he turns around to face Kurapika blankly. "You mean black? Nothing?"

  
"If that's the term, then yes."

  
If Leorio didn't know his friend any better, he'd insist on putting at a smidgen of something sweet in it. Sugar, honey, anything! In all of his life, Leorio has never seen anyone prefer raw coffee. But arguing with Kurapika is a waste of air, so he does as Kurapika asks hesitantly. "If you're sure about it..."

  
"Don't bother about making yourself a cup," Kurapika pushes away the beverage with a finger. "You can have this one."

  
The trip at the counter is much shorter now, because all Leorio has to do is pour. The smell of the coffee is so strong Leorio's hand tightens around the handle. This time he takes a seat adjacent from Kurapika and slides the cup over to him, and swaps the previous.

  
Leorio stares at Kurapika in wonder as he takes it in his hands, about to take a sip. Kurapika's eyes dart to meet Leorio's, the cup close to his lips. "Is there something wrong?" he speaks into the cup and his brow furrows in question.  
"N-Nothing..." it comes out of his mouth slowly. He tears his gaze away and takes a larger than necessary gulp from his coffee. Leorio had unconsciously made the original cup the way he likes it. _I should have asked him how he would like it..._

  
A few seconds later, Leorio glances back to Kurapika. To his utter amazement, Kurapika is taking heartily sips from his coffee, his expression lightened significantly. He watches in disbelief at how Kurapika doesn't even recoil. He even seems almost immersed in the taste. "It's good," Kurapika breathes and finally puts the mug down, looking abashed for his eagerness. "Thank you for the suggestion, Leorio," Kurapika gives him a small smile.

  
It takes Leorio a minute to process what just happened before him. "W...What suggestion?" Leorio doesn't bother to ask if the coffee is bitter. He can only _imagine_ how Kurapika likes his tea.

  
"Coffee," his smile continues. Leorio watches Kurapika unfold in the chair, resting on its back and folding his hands in his lap. Leorio watches him relax, really relax, and glaze over the quiet kitchen. "I should have coffee more often with you," he sighs.

  
"Sure..." It is strangely pleasant to see Kurapika like this. He never remembers Kurapika looking so serene. He doesn't notice his blush until he takes another sip, so he drowns away Kurapika's image by taking a hasty swig. 


	2. Chapter 2

Kurapika had _dreaded_ coming over to visit Leorio.

  
At first, Kurapika had even considered that when he landed at the airport he would just stay at a hotel and book a flight for tomorrow. He didn't know how he came to the conclusion that he should see his old friend, especially considering how busy he was. His coworkers had always joked that Kurapika looked exhausted and how he should take a break (a joke because Kurapika would not, under any circumstances, take that advice). And even though Kurapika had to juggle his mental state and his progress in his life, he was not terribly concerned about himself and he almost never made room for vacation. In fact, this whole thing seemed more like a meeting he had to make room for.

  
He thought Leorio would be cross with him when they reunited; he even expected it. But when Kurapika finally found Leorio's expensive apartment room from unhelpful pedestrians and confusing maps, he appeared to be the exact opposite. Leorio had grasped Kurapika's shoulders and exclaimed about how happy he was to see his best friend again, his blush was slight with alcohol. It was uncomfortable for Kurapika, who politely refused a glass of wine and sat with his body coiled in on a nice-looking armchair. Leorio was too tipsy to sense the awkwardness, and so Kurapika let him babble for most of the night. Something about medical school, the cheap friends he had met, all the girls he had dated. 

  
Begging to cease this mundane _drivel_ , Kurapika had interrupted mid-sentence, "I apologize for not keeping my record up to date with you, Leorio. It seems I've missed so much in my absence." Admitting he couldn't pick up the phone once in a while was dry in his mouth. It was still peculiar to him that Leorio didn't even seem upset about it.

  
"It's fine, it's fine!" Leorio waved his hand in dismissal with a bottle in the other. "I'm just glad you're safe, you know?" He starts a low rumble of laughter, "I was worried about you!"

  
Kurapika retired early for the night, hanging onto that thought.

  
Kurapika had not made an official plan of how long he was going to visit Leorio, but it turned out longer to than he anticipated. Sober Leorio was _much_ more bearable, and he gave Kurapika an unofficial tour of the city he lived a few miles from, just in case Kurapika needed to find anything. They both agreed the maps were terrible and unhelpful.

  
For the most part, the few days Kurapika had spent with Leorio were not awful. He gradually began to appreciate Leorio's presence more and more often. They would spend nights together reading, cooking, or watching TV. It was dumb-strikingly simple, living Leorio's life. The two went out to eat a few times, and Leorio had even suggested to go out and see a movie. Leorio seemed wiser and more knowledgeable. 

Unlike Kurapika, Leorio had learned everything from experience (save the large amount of textbooks threatening to crush his desks about medical terminology, bodily functions, history of diseases...) so he had some more interesting, less drunken stories to tell.

  
Kurapika had refrained from speaking about his dirty work. It didn't seem to fit in the ambiance he was in, and Leorio was considerate enough not to ask about it more than once.

  
After the fourth day, Kurapika had begun to make plans for his leave. He decided he would leave in the morning, so his night schedule would be waiting for him when he came back. He spent that day packing while Leorio was at school, and they both settled on a nice restaurant in the evening.

  
It was in the back of his mind, and it did not worry him compulsively, but Kurapika made sure to count his days spent with Leorio. Though it didn't appear as such, Kurapika had a very regular sleeping schedule. He considered all factors of his night asleep, the weather, the temperature, and the room itself. So far, nothing had been problematic. He hoped that he could get away without having a cycle of nightmares while he stayed over.

  
But that night, Kurapika found his throat sore, his ears ringing, and his body covered in cold sweat.

  
He doesn't even remember the nightmares anymore. He knows they're all about the same, traumatizing thing. He can disdainfully thank them for motivating him on his path of vengeance. Of course now his mind was relatively calm, but his body wouldn't stop convulsing and his teeth wouldn't stop chattering. 

  
Just when Kurapika had reoriented himself from the nightmare, Leorio burst through the door and nearly scared him to death. Kurapika could make out his figure in the night, Leorio's torso loomed from the door-frame, but he couldn't see his face.

  
"What the _hell_?" Leorio sounded breathless, "what happened?! Are you okay?!"

  
Kurapika tried to answer, but his breath hitched and he began a fit of coughing, making his throat worse. He assumed that he was screaming in his sleep. He attempted to make a weak gesture to ward Leorio off, but he only came closer, only stopping when he sat at the foot of Kurapika's bed. "Kurapika," he sounded much calmer, but heavily concerned, "what happened?"

  
He still couldn't answer. Every time he tried to speak his words would be stolen by him from the air and the cracks in his voice. "Wait here," Leorio insisted. He turned on a lamp beside Kurapika's bed and left the room swiftly. The warm orange light calmed Kurapika's ragged breathing. He wanted to stand up and chase after Leorio and tell him that he was fine. It was borderline embarrassing to be seen like this.

  
Leorio came back with a glass of water and something in his hand. He sat by the foot of the bed again and eased the cup into Kurapika's hand. He wordlessly handed Kurapika a small pill to take with it. He watched Kurapika carefully as he took it with trembling arms. Kurapika drank the whole glass to aleve his throat.

  
Slowly, Kurapika's body began to calm down. The medicine must have been a non-prescription anxiety pill. He felt significantly better, though a little drowsy.  
"Was it a nightmare?" Leorio asked in a low, quiet voice.

  
"It happens frequently," Kurapika tried to dismiss the issue. It felt foreign to have someone fret over something he experienced constantly. He would recover in a few hours.

  
"Frequently?" Leorio's eyes widened. "Those horrible screams?"  
"I'll be fine, Leorio," Kurapika tried to smile but it ended up a quavery grimace.  
Leorio had none of it. "Come on," Leorio got up and gestured for Kurapika to stand as well, offering help with a hand.

  
"Where are we going?"

  
"Just out to get some fresh air. You need it."

  
Kurapika wanted to refuse, but he was probably right. Kurapika stood up by himself.

  
Leorio took Kurapika out to his small apartment balcony, where they had relaxed before and chatted. Kurapika thanked the familiarity of the city over the horizon. Leorio had been gently touching Kurapika's shoulder the entire time. He was overly alert, glancing at Kurapika every few seconds. Kurapika deemed it couldn't be helped--after all, Leorio was a medical student. There were two seats, and they pulled pulled up one and sat together.

  
"Thanks," Kurapika mumbled after the serenity had settled in on the both of them. "You didn't have to do this."

  
Leorio scoffed, "What was I going to do? Ignore the screams of bloody murder?"

  
"You'd be surprised how many people have," Kurapika said it lightly, despite how depressing that sounded.

  
Leorio looked at Kurapika for a few moments, serious. "You know if you need anything, you can always call me."

  
"Of course," Kurapika smiled for real this time. Kurapika gazed out and picked out every detail of the sight before. Leorio was lucky in the sense that he had a beautiful view, at least compared to what Kurapika saw every day. "Leorio," Kurapika murmured above the gentle breeze, "I truly am sorry I haven't been--" he searched for the right words to make his spontaneous apology sound--correct.

  
"You don't need to apologize to me twice," Leorio looked slightly annoyed. "I understand, whatever it was that was keeping you busy." He paused. "Not to say it didn't really piss me off sometimes."

  
"I can only imagine."

  
"And worried me to death."

  
"Sure."

  
" _And_ made me wonder sometimes if you still knew who I was!"

  
"I know, I know," Kurapika laughed despite himself. Kurapika sat outside enjoying the cool air for a little while long before the drowsiness from the medication began to make his eyelids droop. He wanted to announce his leave, but he didn't want to break the silence. Instead, he rested his head on Leorio's shoulder. 

  
He probably should have asked before doing so, considering it was a level of intimacy he wasn't sure Leorio was comfortable with, but when he waited for a response, he was surprised to find nothing at all. Kurapika lifted his head and noticed that Leorio had fallen asleep, head sagging. Kurapika suddenly remembered those years ago at the Hunter Exam when Leorio had fallen asleep in the middle of Kurapika's train of thought before. _Doesn't that bring back memories._

  
Kurapika rested his head again on Leorio's shoulder and slept like a rock.


	3. Chapter 3

Leorio had just finished a dream, but he did not remember a single thing about it. However, when the dream ended, he felt terrified.

  
His consciousness told him it was just his vivid imagination, and he began to relax, slowly, easing his muscles from coiled up stress. For some reason they felt especially sore when he stretched, so his sigh of breath was interrupted by a few grunts of discomfort. Had he been injured? Had he pushed himself too hard studying? 

  
He tried to remember his dream. He imagined a single blurry frame of someone running. Had he been running?

  
The pain grew slowly, and the irritation in his joints spread until it exploded in the back of his skull. He flinched, too disoriented to do anything but tremble in pain and wait for the splitting headache to ease. It was like his head had crashed into concrete, or that he was shot by a bullet. His ears began to ring and all he heard was his rapid, dry breathing.

  
It was probably several seconds before he could continue waking up. He chose each action cautiously, first relaxing his arms and legs, then his back, then his hands.

  
He felt his hands relax on swabby, cotton cloth. Was he laying in bed?

  
Finally, he bulked up the nerve to open his eyes.

  


The room was bright and blurry, and the light stabbed through Leorio's head, causing him to immediately squint his eyes. The smell of medicine and chemicals encouraged a small throb in Leorio's head. A hospital. He knew it like scribbles on paper. How could he not? The light and smell were like answers to a flashcard. Why am I in a hospital?

  
He began to register the soft hums of the machines, the robotic beeping of the monitors. In the corner of his focusing eyes, something, moving (a person?) coming closer and closer (yes, a person). Their voice sounded slurry and muffled, and by the time Leorio could focus his eyes completely, he was able to hear the last bit.

  
"--so glad you're alright." The person seemed to be looming right above him.   
Another person walked in through the hospital door, the click of the handle made Leorio jump. A man in a white suit approached the person. A doctor.

  
"Has Leorio woken up, Kurapika?" he asked.

  
"I think so," Kurapika responded in a distant, breathy voice, still fixated on Leorio.

  
Leorio took a few moments to process the entire scene, blinking several times. The sleep he had seemed so distant now. _Was I dreaming?_

  
"Leorio, can you hear me well?" Kurapika asked him, his youthful face tight with concern.

  
Leorio locked his eyes on him. It took him a few moments for his voice to work and his mouth form words. "Excuse me," he croaked, "but who are you?"

  
Kurapika's expression fell instantly.


	4. Chapter 4

Leorio knows his apartment life well. He knows how to make a space that would only be livable for one livable for two. He knows how to squeeze in extra furniture without making a clutter. He knows how to handle small fires (because honestly, with all of the kitchen fires he makes it would be redundant to call the fire department). He knows how to clean an apartment and how to take care of an apartment. He knows how to study without getting distracted by the window. He knows how to convince the landlord to postpone his payment by just a few more days. He knows how to decorate an apartment, invite someone over, and woo them impressed. He knows how to sleep with girls and accept the fact that they're as real in the morning as the sheets being scented with perfume. He knows the feeling of touch on a cushion in the middle of the night. Leorio knows how to live the apartment life.

  
The clock that always ticked on his wall was no longer the loudest silence in the room. The rustling of clothes and the swipes of fabric on fabric deafened him, and the over-stimulation of his ears alone was enough to make him tense. Leorio thought he was experienced, and his arm was arrogantly wrapped around Kurapika's waist to prove it.  But when Kurapika slid so Leorio's arm couldn't hold him anymore and he was just barely sitting on Leorio's knee, he grabbed Leorio's shoulders until his fingertips crumpled into Leorio's shirt. And with ravenous pursuit, Kurapika began to kiss and suckle on the skin on Leorio's neck. Only then did Leorio realize he knew nothing at all about--about this.

  
For a few seconds the sounds ceased and all Leorio was focused on was Kurapika's soft breathy sighs tickling Leorio's earlobe and the scalding touches of Kurapika's soft lips, teeth, and tongue. He boiled under Kurapika, unable to keep embarrassing pants  and squirms from within him. He could feel the hydration from his mouth evaporating at a skyrocket pace, and there was no room to tell Kurapika to keep going, keep going. He rested his elbows on the couch, leaning downwards so Kurapika had no choice but to sprawl over him.  
Kurapika pulled away, his cheeks tinted and his eyelids heavy. His usually combed blond hair stuck out in odd places from being grabbed, played with, and tangled.

 He gave a sort of bewildered look. "Don't be so nervous," he slurred. He grabbed Leorio by the face and pulled him in for a sloppy kiss, to which Leorio had to intently concentrate on to match Kurapika's fevered pace. He pulled away again. "It's just me."

  
Kurapika said that like they had done this millions of times before, like they were soul-bound lovers. And Leorio's face was _crimson._  



End file.
